I am in the southeast corner of South Dakota, near Sioux City Iowa, and
this is the first time I have experienced drought in Spring. Last month
was May and normally we get 3.5 inches or rainfall and this year only
0.8 and it looks like no rain until perhaps Monday. Normally drought
has hit us in summer or late summer, and this is the first time I have
seen it in Spring.

I suspect a drought in Spring could adversely affect my fruit crop,
especially raspberries.

Already I see my new planting of lilac wilting. Thank goodness I put
down asphalt roofing shingles as mulch for it has saved them their
life, as well as the new amur maples.

Question for the botanists in you. I want to try hazelnuts but I know
they only live in acid soils and mine are alkaline. Can someone tell me
if horsemanure and other manure such as dog manure can acidify the soil
if I liberally apply manure every year? I have heard of coffee grinds
but that is unavailable. I heard that oak leaves are a good acidifier,
but the trouble is that the wind is too fierce around here that leaves
do not stay in place. I suppose they end up in the Missouri river.

So does anyone have a suggestion as to how I can easily acidify the
soil around say 100 hazelnut bushes?

How about tar paper or the asphalt shingles, as it decomposes, would
that acidify the soil for hazelnuts to thrive?

Archimedes Plutonium
www.iw.net/~a_plutonium
whole entire Universe is just one big atom
where dots of the electron-dot-cloud are galaxies

wrote:
I am in the southeast corner of South Dakota, near Sioux City Iowa, and
this is the first time I have experienced drought in Spring. Last month
was May and normally we get 3.5 inches or rainfall and this year only
0.8 and it looks like no rain until perhaps Monday. Normally drought
has hit us in summer or late summer, and this is the first time I have
seen it in Spring.

I suspect a drought in Spring could adversely affect my fruit crop,
especially raspberries.

Already I see my new planting of lilac wilting. Thank goodness I put
down asphalt roofing shingles as mulch for it has saved them their
life, as well as the new amur maples.

Question for the botanists in you. I want to try hazelnuts but I know
they only live in acid soils and mine are alkaline. Can someone tell me
if horsemanure and other manure such as dog manure can acidify the soil
if I liberally apply manure every year? I have heard of coffee grinds
but that is unavailable. I heard that oak leaves are a good acidifier,
but the trouble is that the wind is too fierce around here that leaves
do not stay in place. I suppose they end up in the Missouri river.

So does anyone have a suggestion as to how I can easily acidify the
soil around say 100 hazelnut bushes?

How about tar paper or the asphalt shingles, as it decomposes, would
that acidify the soil for hazelnuts to thrive?


Pine needles will work. I've never heard of oak leaves
acidifying anything -- they take forever to break down
anyway. When we acidified soil for our blueberry bushes,
we bought something from the garden supply store. And
for the life of me, I can't remember what we bought!
The only problem with acidifying alkaline soil is that
you need to periodically re-acidify it. And that means
testing its pH annually.

I've never heard of using asphalt shingles for mulch --
but I suppose they will last for quite a long time.

Here in WI, we've had a wet April/May, so I'm waiting to
see how much of a slug problem we'll have.

Scott

Scott L wrote:

Pine needles will work. I've never heard of oak leaves
acidifying anything -- they take forever to break down
anyway. When we acidified soil for our blueberry bushes,
we bought something from the garden supply store. And
for the life of me, I can't remember what we bought!
The only problem with acidifying alkaline soil is that
you need to periodically re-acidify it. And that means
testing its pH annually.

I've never heard of using asphalt shingles for mulch --
but I suppose they will last for quite a long time.

Here in WI, we've had a wet April/May, so I'm waiting to
see how much of a slug problem we'll have.

Scott

I do not have access to large quantity of pine needles and any pine
trees around here are beloved by their owners.

But I wonder if I can get a nursing tree or plant alongside hazelnuts.
I wonder if the Black Walnut releases juglans which is acidic and
whether the hazelnuts would thrive under those conditions so that I
place hazelnuts between two rows of black-walnuts. I suppose I can
place the hazelnuts between two rows of pine trees. Austrian pine grows
well here so I will check to see if Austrian pine sheds enough needles
to be a nursing partner to hazelnut.

I would guess the chemical is some form of aluminum sulfate, Scott.

Does anyone know if horsemanure or other forms of manure is acidic? If
I got the wet and fresh horse manure, whether it is acidic. For I seem
to be able to get plenty of horsemanure.

Archimedes Plutonium
www.iw.net/~a_plutonium
whole entire Universe is just one big atom
where dots of the electron-dot-cloud are galaxies

On Fri, 02 Jun 2006 10:37:09 -0500, Scott L
wrote:

wrote:
I am in the southeast corner of South Dakota, near Sioux City Iowa, and
this is the first time I have experienced drought in Spring. Last month
was May and normally we get 3.5 inches or rainfall and this year only
0.8 and it looks like no rain until perhaps Monday. Normally drought
has hit us in summer or late summer, and this is the first time I have
seen it in Spring.

I suspect a drought in Spring could adversely affect my fruit crop,
especially raspberries.

Already I see my new planting of lilac wilting. Thank goodness I put
down asphalt roofing shingles as mulch for it has saved them their
life, as well as the new amur maples.

Question for the botanists in you. I want to try hazelnuts but I know
they only live in acid soils and mine are alkaline. Can someone tell me
if horsemanure and other manure such as dog manure can acidify the soil
if I liberally apply manure every year? I have heard of coffee grinds
but that is unavailable. I heard that oak leaves are a good acidifier,
but the trouble is that the wind is too fierce around here that leaves
do not stay in place. I suppose they end up in the Missouri river.

So does anyone have a suggestion as to how I can easily acidify the
soil around say 100 hazelnut bushes?

How about tar paper or the asphalt shingles, as it decomposes, would
that acidify the soil for hazelnuts to thrive?


Pine needles will work. I've never heard of oak leaves
acidifying anything -- they take forever to break down
anyway. When we acidified soil for our blueberry bushes,
we bought something from the garden supply store. And
for the life of me, I can't remember what we bought!
The only problem with acidifying alkaline soil is that
you need to periodically re-acidify it. And that means
testing its pH annually.

I've never heard of using asphalt shingles for mulch --
but I suppose they will last for quite a long time.

Here in WI, we've had a wet April/May, so I'm waiting to
see how much of a slug problem we'll have.

Scott


Probably just sulfur, I recently saw large piles of it in the central
California valley that were being spread on the fields and worked
into the soil.

On Fri, 02 Jun 2006 10:37:09 -0500,
Scott L , in
wrote:

+ anyway. When we acidified soil for our blueberry bushes,
+ we bought something from the garden supply store. And
+ for the life of me, I can't remember what we bought!

Lime, perhaps?

--
Consulting Minister for Consultants, DNRC
I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow
isn't looking good, either.
I am BOFH. Resistance is futile. Your network will be assimilated.